[Savvy27]

Originally Posted by Jetsfan

So what your saying is as a Citizen of Canada I am obligated to cover the ransom due to her poor decisions under the pretext of her career otherwise you will throw me out of the country.

Nope. The government didn't pay her ransom, her family raised money and they paid off the kidnappers. You said that:

If one of my family members were stupid enough to go to a country like Somolia and ignore the travel warnings of the Canadian government then they're out of luck and they can fend for themselves.

This has nothing to do with your status as a citizen of Canada.

I'm not going to throw you out of the country, but I do suggest that you re-evaluate your determination that the greatest problem in Western society has to do with taxation, especially in a thread related to the disaster of a country (without government or taxes) that is Somalia.

What if she went to climb Mount Everest without an oxygen tank and became stranded on the summit, would you suggest that I should pay to have her rescued and flown back to Canada or I can move to Tibet.

I'm trying to keep up with you here, but you're a shifty one. Actually, here I would probably be in favour of a rescue mission to save a Canadian citizen. I know that we face an ever-present risk of gigantic mountains abducting people (and we all know that if we save them it will only inspire other mountains to join them in their evil scheme) and forcing them to strive for their summits out of a not-quite-understood plan for profit, but the value of human life and all that compels me to approve.

Let me be clear...she ignored warnings not to travel there and got kidnapped. As a citizen, it I am not obligated to pay for her poor decisions. Instead of suggesting that I move to Africa, maybe she should change her career!

Well since we're working in the service of clarity, you are not currently obligated to pay for her poor decision. If the government of Canada's policy was to pay any and all ransoms immediately, you would be obligated as a citizen to pay your share.

As an individual you may not believe that the government is justified in taking your property and using it for ends that you do not approve of, but as a citizen (member of a society) you share in the responsibility for other members of society. Of course you are free to try and change that policy through democratic means, but don't confuse democratic freedom with an absence of social responsibility.

More importantly, this story has nothing to do with you. She made a grave mistake and people who care about her, and others who care about people in general collected money to free her. I don't know why you are complaining about taxation in relation to a story that has nothing to do with taxes, or why you are complaining about having to be responsible for others in a case where private citizens CHOSE to support her (and I'm guessing that you did not choose to help her, since you explicitly stated that you wouldn't help, even if she was your own family member)?